Mola and Duffy repeat as world series triathlon winners

HAMBURG — Mario Mola of Spain won the Hamburg world series triathlon for a second straight year, and tied Jonathan Brownlee for most world series career victories on Saturday, with five.

Meanwhile, Flora Duffy of Bermuda won her third straight women’s race of the year, by more than half a minute over Ashleigh Gentle of Australia.

The men were bunched up through the swim and cycle legs, and there was finally separation on the run, when Mola, Jacob Birtwhistle of Australia, Ryan Sissons of New Zealand, Javier Gomez Noya of Spain, and Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway broke away.

When Mola surged, nobody followed, and he won by 12 seconds from Birtwhistle, who was also second last year, and Sissons, who earned his first world series podium.

Duffy was decisive on the cycle leg, having already featured in a three-women break. She went into the second transition with a 40-second lead on the pack, and eased up on the run.

Gentle was second, and Laura Lindemann used the hometown support to nip Katie Zaferes of the U.S. by one second for third, and her first podium in the world series.